DOI Secretary Zinke on New Era of U.S. Energy Production: ‘We’re Just Getting Started’

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke told the crowd at the American Conservative Union’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on the outskirts of Washington, DC, Friday that his agency is “just getting started” in creating a regulatory framework that allows access to the abundant energy resources in the United States.

That framework includes reversing a historic number of regulations to allow use of public and private lands to safely develop oil and gas and other energy resources, including an “all-of-the-above” strategy that incorporates wind and solar.

Zinke said the changes are the result of President Donald Trump’s executive order announced in June that instructed his agency “to review the Bureau of Land Management’s 2016 moratorium on new coal leases on federal land and also review three final rules from the Department regarding oil and gas production on both federal and private land and the outer continental shelf.”

“We are producing today about 10.3 million barrels a day in this country, and for the first time in 60 years, we’re a net exporter of liquid natural gas,” Zinke said.

“[Trump] said, ‘Energy dominance,’ and that’s what we’re delivering to America and the world,” Zinke said, noting that this includes environmental “stewardship” of public land.

Zinke said while the first year of the Trump administration has been spent on deregulation and energy production, the focus going forward will be investing in public lands.

“We’re going to embark on what’s called ‘Mission 26’; it’s the largest investment in our public lands and the park system in the history of this country, and it’s going to be funded from energy,” Zinke said.

“As long as it’s made in America, I’m good with it,” Zinke said. “But if you’re going to produce energy from America’s public lands, then I think you should invest in our public lands because we have the greatest assets on the face of the planet.”

Zinke also said his agency is focused on giving back access to public lands to Americans for recreation, access that had been cut off by policies and regulations put in place by the Obama administration.

“Public lands belong to the people and not special interests,” Zinke said. “We should enjoy our public lands, and we should not be locked out of them.”

“Stand by,” Zinke said. “I think we’re just getting started.”

Follow Penny Starr on Twitter.